cat 5 cable segment max

[Guest]

This may be a little off topic, but I was wondering if anyone has gone over the recommended 350 ft for cat 5 twisted pair cable (without active hubs/switches etc...) in a network environment and what the results were. Any information would be very helpful

Justin Tapp

 

[Dave Patrick]

The expected result would be unpredictable as there would be many other
variables that may affect the result. Since you're obviously still in the
design stage I would suggest that you adhere to the 100 m limit.

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Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
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:
| This may be a little off topic, but I was wondering if anyone has gone
over the recommended 350 ft for cat 5 twisted pair cable (without active
hubs/switches etc...) in a network environment and what the results were.
Any information would be very helpful.
|
| Justin Tapp

 

[Gerry Voras]

It is very unpredictable. I have personally tripled the TIA/EIA spec for
non-repeated segments with no issue. But the Cat5 was extrememly high
quality. And since an active hub is pretty cheap these days ($15 at Office
Depot) it seems to me that to do the job right would in the end be worth a
lot less headaches.

This may be a little off topic, but I was wondering if anyone has gone

over the recommended 350 ft for cat 5 twisted pair cable (without active
hubs/switches etc...) in a network environment and what the results were.
Any information would be very helpful.

 

[Bryan Martin]

We have successfully done this without a problem at one location and had
problems on another. The successful location consisted of a old warehouse
with no drop ceiling so you ran beam to beam all the way. The unsuccessful
location had a drop ceiling with the Florissant lights (i think thats what
did it) that we had to run close to at times.

This may be a little off topic, but I was wondering if anyone has gone

over the recommended 350 ft for cat 5 twisted pair cable (without active
hubs/switches etc...) in a network environment and what the results were.
Any information would be very helpful.

 

[Steve N.]

Yes it's been done. No it does not work. Signal degradation and timing
are the issues. Ethernet is entirely dependant on good signal strength
and timing; if the signal loses strength and packets can't traverse the
length of cable in a timely manner you will get collisions and lost
packets, i.e it does not work. Buy a $20 hub.

Read this about CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Mutliple Access/Collision Detection):

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/ethernet.htm#xtocid10

Keep in mind that "Each must stop transmitting as soon as it has
detected the collision and then must wait a quasirandom length of time
(determined by a back-off algorithm) before attempting to retransmit the
frame" is based upon the physical limitations imposed by the time it
takes for a packet to travel the length of cable. Exceed that maximum
cable length and the timing is shot.

Steve

 

[Guest]

I have tried putting a cheap switch between two sets of cable to compensate for 100m+ distanace and still connectivity is not consistent - signal flickers on and off. Any suggestions? Are there other devices out there that extend CAT5 range

Ryan